Deborah Leonard

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-318398

The origin of Deborah (Unknown) is not known. The Leonard book[1] speculates that she was the daughter of John Leonard of Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and born in 1663.[2] This Deborah is otherwise unaccounted for, and she would have still been barely within her childbearing years around 1700.

Deborah married Samuel Leonard, as his second wife, in about 1699, most likely in Preston, New London, Connecticut Colony.[3] Samuel was then about 56 years old. Deborah was evidently a much younger woman, as Samuel and Deborah had children together:

1. Abigail (ca 1700), married Isaac Read in 1722[4]
2. Phebe (bp. 17 October 1703), "child of Goodman Leonardson", married Isaac Canada[5]

The Leonard book provisionally attributes Abigail to Samual and Deborah. No Preston church records exist for the birth or baptism of an Abigail Leonard. However, in 2018 the Mayflower Society began approving applications claiming descent through her (she and Isaac had a number of known children). Abigail would have been named for Samuel's deceased first wife, a common practice for that time. She is linked as a daughter of Samuel on WikiTree. See the Mayflower Descendant v. 57 pp. 71-75 for a detailed analysis.[6]

On 4 November 1716 the wife of Samuel Leonardson, presumably Deborah, was admitted to the Preston church.[7]

Samuel's only son Samuel died on 11 May 1718, in Preston.[8] Shortly after that Samuel sold all of his own Preston properties to his son-in-law Thomas Clark of Norwich.[1]

In 1719 Samuel conveyed land in Worcester that was likely his house lot to John Beman of Deerfield. The deed was witnessed by a Rachel Leonard.[1]

On 30 November 1720 Samuel appears on the list of founding members of the North Church of Preston (later the First Congregational Church of Griswold). His daughter Mercy and her husband Richard Adams, and Lydia, widow of his son Samuel, are also on the list. His wife is not on the list, which makes it likely that Deborah had died by that date.[9]

Samuel probably died shortly after this, as no other records have been found for him.

References

1. Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jan 14 2020, 1:19:09 UTC
2. Please see Leonard Genealogy: https://archive.org/details/memorialgenealog00leon/page/34/mode/2up.... (Steven Ferry, February 26, 2021.)
3. WikiTree contributors, "Deborah (Unknown) Leonard (abt.1663-abt.1719)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-318398 : accessed 13 April 2024). cites
   1. Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). NEHGS member site
   2. New England Marriages to 1700. Torrey, v.2 p.941 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. NEHGS member site Text: "LEONARD, Samuel (1643-1720) & 2/wf Deborah ____; by 1703, by 1701?; Preston, CT {Leonard (,2) 34, 36; Newton (,4) 41, 169; Warner-Harrington 407}"
   3. Norwich CT: Vital Records of Norwich, 1659-1848. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.) Originally published as: Vital Records of Norwich, 1659-1848. Hartford, Society of colonial wars in the state of Connecticut, 1913. NEHGS member site
   4. Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870 Windham p.50 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. NEHGS member site
   5. Mayflower Descendant: A Journal of Pilgrim Genealogy and History. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1899- . v.57 pp.71-75 (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010) NEHGS member site
   6. Preston, CT: First Congregational Church Records, 1698-1898. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: First Congregational Church of Preston, Connecticut, 1698-1898 : together with statistics of the church taken from church records. Preston, Conn.: The Society, 1900. page 14 page 4 NEHGS member site
   7. "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSC-NF12 : 15 April 2022), Samuell Leonardson, ; citing Death, Preston, New London, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 007833262.
   8. First Congregational Church, Griswold, Connecticut; FHL 1008714, DGS 8138514, image 11 FamilySearch